


Running Out of Time

by alpha_raeken



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anchors, Chimera Stiles Stilinski, Creature Stiles, Dread Doctor Experiments, Hurt Stiles, M/M, Manipulation, Manipulative Theo, Medical Experimentation, Possessive Behavior, Possessive Theo, Pre-Slash, Protective Theo, Steo, season five AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-30
Updated: 2017-04-30
Packaged: 2018-10-25 15:37:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10767240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alpha_raeken/pseuds/alpha_raeken
Summary: If Theo had gotten there a few minutes earlier he wouldn’t be staring down at Stiles gasping, bleeding anddying, on the hospital roof while a dead chimera’s blood dripped from his blood soaked hand.





	Running Out of Time

**Author's Note:**

> This is another one that has been sitting in my unfinished folder (I'm slowly finishing things in that folder). I was torn between several possibilities but I finally settled on one that was mostly for my own amusement.
> 
> I was going to try to do another complete AU for my next Steo fic but this one has been sitting in my unfinished folder for ages and I kind of love the thought of Chimera!Stiles. There are not enough stories with him.
> 
> Hopefully my fellow Steo shippers enjoy this one!

If Theo had gotten there a few minutes earlier he wouldn’t be staring down at Stiles gasping, bleeding and _dying_ , on the hospital roof while a dead chimera’s blood dripped from his blood soaked hand. He squatted down, took in pained brown eyes, and frowned. “Dammit, Stiles.” The words were muttered as Stiles’s fingers curled around his wrist and a wounded sound escaped Stiles’s blood-wet lips.

“ _Theo_.”

Stiles’s eyes rolled and he went limp seconds later. If it wasn’t for the thump of his heart Theo would think the fragile human had died on him but Stiles was clinging to life with the same stubborn determination Theo greatly admired in him. _Stiles would not die tonight_. Theo wasn’t going to allow him to die and the Doctors owed him. This was a favor he had coming for all the hard work he’d put into helping them in Beacon Hills.

It was time to cash in.

Very carefully he scooped up Stiles’s limp form up, cradling him protectively, before turning and moving through the hospital. It was hard avoiding being seen, dodging the others, but Theo utilized his enhanced hearing to avoid detection while at the same time monitoring Stiles’s health. Chaos seemed in his favor as no one appeared to notice the teenager carrying another.

Stiles’s bleeding was sluggish, mercifully the rogue chimera hadn’t managed to get Stiles somewhere vital, so the immediacy wasn’t too pressing. Time wasn’t on his side but he had more than enough to work with for this.

The trip to his truck, driving through Beacon Hills and moving through the tunnels went without incident. It was a miracle he wasn’t pulled over for excessive speeding. Over the years Theo had gotten very good at moving unseen, avoiding suspicion, and now wasn’t any different. Though this time his arms held something precious, something he selfishly coveted, and Theo was going to make sure that Stiles came out of that attack far better than when he went into it.

Theo wasn’t going to lose something he considered _his_ and Stiles had been his since the first moment he’d laid eyes on Stiles when they were younger. Scott had gotten to borrow Stiles from him while he was gone but now Theo had come back to collect and the first step, now, was securing Stiles’s health.

* * *

Everything was a blur of pain and terror and feeling like he was being broken apart, shredded to pieces, only to be shoved back together. Stiles howled and jerked and fought against the hands touching him, the restraints holding him down, until he mercifully slipped back into blissful unconsciousness.

He came awake with a hoarse cry and terror pumping through his veins some unknown time later.

Stiles’s eyes jerked around, taking in the unusual room he was in, as his heart pounded in his chest and the loud sounds of too much noise had him wincing. He slumped back onto the hard metal table and struggled to calm his breathing. His eyes closed as Stiles mentally struggled to calm himself.

The last thing he clearly remembered was the nightmare of seeing his dead Mom accusing him of trying to kill her and then the razor sharp claws of a supernatural creature tearing into him.

 _No_ Stiles thought after a moment _the last thing I remember is **Theo**_. He remembered the roar, the weight of what had to be a new chimera being hauled off of him, the blinding pain left behind by sharp claws and Theo’s wide golden eyes staring down at him in genuine shock.

_What happened after?_

There was pain, fear and a feeling of complete helplessness that he couldn’t shake but Stiles couldn’t grasp what had happened between Theo saving him and this exact moment. He had broken fragments of what might be memory, being cradled against a warm chest, or possibly some dream he couldn’t quite recall.

As his mind struggled to connect the dots flashes of memory seemed to slip through his fingers and Stiles released a growl of frustration before giving up. Remembering would have to wait.

There were more pressing matters at hand and he needed to _focus_.

He forced his eyes open to catalogue his surroundings and immediately wished he hadn’t. There were pipes, what could only be some kind of medical equipment and tubes. The sound of dripping water, the creak of pipes and the rumble of things above registered but another sound pulled his attention closer.

Stiles turned his head to the side, idly took in the restraints holding him to a cold table, and saw Theo strapped down to another table. The other teenager appeared unconscious, clothes bloodied, with his slack face pointed in Stiles’s direction. With a shaky breath Stiles glanced down and felt a sharp flare of relief when he saw the rise and fall of Theo’s chest as he breathed.

A frown pulled at his features.

Theo was already a werewolf what could the Doctors possibly want with him? Had they taken Theo because he was with Stiles on the roof? Were they branching out and experimenting on already existing supernatural creatures?

“ _Theo_?” his voice cracked and it sounded horrible as Stiles tried to clear his throat. It hurt and he winced before trying again. “Theo?” there was a noticeable twitch and the steady beat of Theo’s heart as Stiles started to tug at his restraints.

Judging by the way everything was so much louder, he was smelling scents he _shouldn’t_ be able to smell and the lack of pain after being viciously attacked on the roof it was more than obvious he wasn’t human anymore. As if being able to actually hear Theo’s heartbeat wasn’t clue enough.

It was something he was going to have to deal with later because they both needed to get the fuck out of here before the Dread Doctors returned. Stiles didn’t want to know what would happen if they returned.

Regardless of his suspicions about Theo he didn’t want to see Theo dead. Theo _had_ saved him, after all, and Stiles didn’t want to repay that kind of thing by leaving the werewolf to his death.

He used the steady beat of Theo’s heart to calm his own, focused on the fact that he _wasn’t_ alone, and locked his eyes on Theo’s prone form searching for a sign that Theo was awake.

_thump thump_

_thump thump_

_thump thump_

_thump thump_

 “Theo!” his voice was a little stronger as Stiles yanked and jerked until one of the restraints snapped. “Thank fuck.” Stiles hissed out as he immediately used his free hand to start freeing himself. His head pounded, aching, as whatever the Doctors had done to him still seemed to ache all the way down to his joints.

Hopefully some kind of supernatural healing would kick in because this was fuckign ridiculous.

His hands were shaking, his heart was threatening to beat out of his chest but Stiles forced himself to focus and ignore everything that was trying to demand his attention. A sob of relief escaped his trembling lips when the last restraint was removed and he slid off the table onto shaking legs.

Briefly Stiles stumbled, legs minutely shaking, as he got used to standing after laying down for however long they’d had him strapped down. It could have been hours, days or even a week.

Again he shoved the thoughts aside and pushed forward.

“Ok, Stiles, you’ve got this. This is nothing. Nothing at all. You’re not alone. Theo is right there and it’s going to be ok. You’ve got this. Come on.” He tried to soothe himself as he moved across the lab towards where Theo was strapped down.

At least it looked like Theo wasn’t involved with the Dread Doctors. It was a small relief and Stiles felt a bit of the tension he carried around when it came to Theo fall away.

But in its place a small swell of worry curled. What had they done to Theo? Was he ok? Why had they taken both of them?

Quickly he set about freeing Theo from the restraints, using his newly improved hearing to listen for anyone coming, while at the same time listening to Theo’s steady heart.

_thump thump_

_thump thump_

_thump thump_

_thump thump_

It kept him calm and Stiles wasn’t going to think about how the sound of Theo’s heartbeat was keeping him from a panic attack. He wasn’t going to think about how he could probably pick that heartbeat out of a crowd he had so completely thrown his new senses at the nearest living being.

Theo’s heartbeat, the sound of him breathing and even Theo’s scent.

“Theo?” the last restraint was dealt with and Stiles started shaking Theo awake. “Wake up. Come on you vicious egoti—” on the table Theo jerked awake, eyes flared gold and claws out, as Stiles jerked back with wide eyes.

There was a cough and Theo turned to stare at him, “Stiles?” he sounded confused as the gold faded from his eyes and his claws turned back into human nails. “Where are they?”

That answered one of his questions.

“I don’t know. I just woke up.” He looked around, “We need to leave. Now.”

Theo turned on the table, slipping off and gaining his feet far easier than Stiles had. Part of Stiles was annoyed at how Theo seemed to shake things off but the other part was grateful that it wouldn’t slow their escape down.

He might not be human anymore but he had zero experience utilizing supernatural anything if it came to defending them or trying to escape the actual Dread Doctors.

“Are you ok?” Theo asked as they moved through the tunnels, listening carefully, all the while putting as much distance between them and the lab as possible. “There was a lot of blood…”

“How did we even get here?” Stiles hissed back as he glanced at Theo from the side. He didn’t want to think about Theo’s comment about all of the blood. “The last thing I remember was the roof.”

He caught a slight wince from Theo that had him pausing and turning to face him fully. “About that…” Theo trailed off and looked slightly remorseful, “I found you getting attacked by that chimera, you were bleeding out, and when I pulled him off he turned on me.” Stiles’s breathing caught in his throat, “It was self-defense.”

“You killed him?”

Donovan flashed through his mind. He curled his hands into fists and watched Theo, doing his level best not to think about the guilt weighing him down, as he waited for Theo’s answer.

Theo’s fingers curled around him, gripping his upper arms, and Stiles could hear the way his heartbeat quickened as they locked eyes. “I didn’t have a choice. He was going to kill both of us!”

There was a note of panic in Theo’s voice that was impossible to dismiss.

Stiles remembered the feeling of claws slicing through his skin like it was nothing. He could remember the sticky, wet feeling of his own blood spilling out and the pain radiating through his entire body.

He could remember how he was _dying_ and then Theo had been staring down at him in shocked horror. Stiles couldn’t dredge up anything other than relief that Theo had gotten there in time and that Theo had removed the threat before it had cost both of them their lives.

Stiles felt nauseatingly _grateful_.

“How did we end up here?”

Now Theo looked away and Stiles thought it might be an expression of shame on his face. “They showed up when I was checking the damage. I woke up strapped to a table and they were operating on you.”

“I knew I wasn’t human but I hoped…” he swallowed roughly and a glance down revealed his hands were shaking almost violently. Despite everything, despite at times wishing he was more than human, Stiles had never planned on actually shedding his humanity.

He didn’t mind not being supernatural in a world full of the supernatural.

Being human had its perks.

Now it was gone and Stiles felt sick at the realization that it had been stolen from him without his permission, without his awareness. He’d slept through its loss and now there was nothing he could do about it. His humanity was gone and he would have to push forward.

At least as long as he survived. The Dread Doctors didn’t seem to have a high success rate from what he’d gathered.

“What about you? Why were you on a table?”

Stiles’s senses were filled with the sounds echoing from the tunnel, the beat of their hearts and the sound of their breathing. He focused on Theo’s heartbeat as his own pounded in his chest.

Theo took a moment before answering. “They wanted to see if it was possible to make a chimera out of someone who was already a supernatural creature.”

“ _Oh_.” Stiles winced, “Did they—?”

“ _Yes_.”

The pang of sympathy caught Stiles off guard and he viciously worked to shove it down. It remained and guilt at the way he’d treated Theo quickly made a bid for his attention as he pushed forward in his questioning. “Did they say anything about me?” they could address the fact that the Dread Doctors were now experimenting on supernatural creatures to the backburner.

He needed to know what they’d done to him to get some kind of idea of what the fuck he had to look forward to. Desperately he hoped it wasn’t a super homicidal kind of supernatural creature hybrid.

That was the last thing he needed on top of everything else or he might just seek the Dread Doctors at to finish him now instead of waiting for a trail of bodies to be left in his wake.

Again.

“A combination of werewolf and coyote.” Theo breathed out, “They tried it on me first and then worked on you.”

At least he wasn’t part wendigo or kanima. That was a positive. The only positive. Now he apparently shared the same species as Theo Raeken. Of fucking course. Why wouldn’t they be the exact same kind of chimera if they were both going to be experimented on?

He wondered if they had used Theo as a base for the werewolf aspect of his new form.

“So now we get to see if we go wrong, right?” Stiles laughed and it sounded like he was holding back sobs. After everything he had become some kind of science experiment and he was probably going to die choking on mercury.

Fan-fucking-tastic.

Theo scowled, “We’re _not_ going to go _wrong_.” His eyes flashed and Stiles could practically taste the fury coming off of Theo at the very thought of death, “We’re going to be completely fine. You’re going to be more durable and the same suspicious smartass as you were before. And I’m going to see if there are any differences from before. _We’ll be fine._ ”

A warm hand curled around his wrist and Stiles found himself getting hauled through the tunnels. “What are you doing?” he started to tug but Theo hauled him along and that’s how Stiles found out that not all supernatural creatures were created equal.

The new knowledge had a slow snarl building in his chest as Theo overpowered him though he did at least force Theo to work for it. Even as a chimera he was apparently still weaker than Theo but Stiles wasn’t just going to bow down to Theo’s dominating personality.

“I’m getting us the Hell out of here. Do you want to stick around and see if they want to cut you open again?” Theo glanced back at him before continuing on. “Maybe see if they want to try for three creatures in one? Or maybe they want to try even more?”

“You’re just going to get us lost!”

“No I’m not.”

Stiles opened his mouth to argue his point but Theo yanked him around another corner, down another tunnel and towards a ladder. “This is it?”

“This is a way _out_ of the tunnels. I don’t know where it opens up but at least its fresh air and I know your new senses must be driving you crazy. The smell down here is less than pleasant and I would rather get the Hell out of here then stick around.”

Stiles wasn’t even going to bother answering that.

It was with reluctance that Stiles followed Theo up the ladder, glancing back and listening for footsteps, until they reached the top. The fresh air was both a blessing and a curse as brand new smells assaulted him.

“How does anyone get used to that?” he grumbled while looking around. “This is kind of… _annoying_.” Stiles frowned as Theo laughed at him. “That isn’t funny.” He glanced away and muttered, “ _Asshole_.”

Theo shrugged him off and started moving away from their exit in sure strides that had Stiles grumbling as he moved to catch up. He was confident that at least Theo was on his side when it came to the Dread Doctors so at the very least it would be two against three.

He was beyond grateful that Theo wasn’t actually working with the Dread Doctors like he’d started to wonder. That would be a nightmare of a different kind and Stiles would rather Theo not be apart of that fuckery.

And he desperately needed someone else in the same boat. Stiles didn’t want to go through being a chimera on his own and at least Theo would be a way to check if anything was going wrong or going right with his new self.

* * *

The Doctors had done an amazing job. Theo couldn’t help but admire the way being a chimera suited Stiles beautifully. The very same type of chimera as Theo. It had been the safest option and Theo hadn’t wanted to gamble with Stiles by letting them experiment with a new kind of chimera.

At least they knew how to make the combination of werewolf and werecoyote work where it didn’t end in failure. They had been reluctant but with his progress and his success they had, thankfully, agreed to letting Stiles be his reward.

Years of working for them and at least this made it worth it. The only other chimera with the same combination as his. They would never use that same combination again and Theo was more than satisfied with that.

Only Stiles deserved to be the same kind of chimera as him.

“How long do you think we’ve been gone?” Stiles asked after several miles of walking, “I checked my pockets but I think my phone is on the hospital roof. Do you have yours?”

Theo patted his pockets, “No. Maybe they left them behind?”

It seemed plausible.

“I hate my life.” Stiles scowled at the darkness, “For once I just want to catch a fucking break. Why couldn’t my senior year of high school simply be full of stress and headaches from normal teenager problems? Fucking Dread Doctors and chimeras and death by mercury? This whole thing is ridiculous.”

Theo snorted, “Is anything in Beacon Hills normal?”

“Apparently it isn’t.” said Stiles darkly. “Everything is a supernatural clusterfuck and I’m always stuck right in the middle. Now we’re _both_ chimeras and those seem to have a short shelf life. We’re probably not even going to get a chance to graduate. What with impending expiration dates on the horizon.”

“I applied to six universities,” Theo responded after a few seconds of walking, “I’m going to one of them. I don’t plan on dying any time soon.” The very thought of dying anytime soon had him mentally snorting. “You’re not dying anytime soon either.”

That was _not_ going to happen.

Not for him and not for Stiles.

“Six?” Stiles asked after a beat, “Hear back from any?”

“Three of them.” Theo grinned, “I should have a good selection to choose from. Those were early acceptance letters.”

Stiles rolled his eyes but Theo could detect something like fond exasperation. This whole setup seemed to be going a long way towards lowering Stiles’s guard. Or at least Stiles didn’t think he was involved with the Dread Doctors.

That would help lessen some of the suspicion.

 _He’s the only one smart enough to question me_. _Then again Stiles was never one to believe anything at face value._

It showed Theo that Stiles was the only one worth anything. He’d had a crush on Stiles when they were younger and the sight of Stiles, the very scent of him, had only reminded Theo of that fact.

He had known Stiles would be his. It was only a matter of how much time, effort and manipulation would need to go into achieving that goal but Theo was patient. Some things were worth the effort and Theo _knew_ getting Stiles would be well worth the effort.

“We look like horror movie extras.”

Stiles glanced over at him, looked at himself, and snorted. “When don’t we look like horror movie extras?”

“Good point.”

“Most of my money goes towards my Jeep or replacing clothing.”

They were approaching the Stilinski residence and Theo could see the way Stiles started to relax at the familiar houses around them. He couldn’t blame the other chimera. The instincts raging inside of Stiles, new and untested, would have him wanting to seek familiar settings in order to feel safe.

Stiles would want to be on his own territory.

The scent, though one Stiles wouldn’t have recognized as a human, would be nothing but a comfort and Theo could understand how important that was. He hadn’t really had much of anything once the Doctors had gotten ahold of him, the constant moving around and helping them to seek out new humans for experiments, until they settled back in Beacon Hills.

“Are your parents home?” Stiles asked as they walked up the driveway towards the house. His heart had slowed, a calm and steady beat that soothed, the closer they got to the door and Theo could see some of the tension Stiles had been carrying in his shoulders ease with each step.

“No.” Theo made a show of sounding hesitant. “They’re out of town. Some business thing. They’re not around much.” He allowed melancholy to slip into his voice.

His heart was steady, calm, since lying came as easy as breathing and Theo had long since mastered the art of keeping his heart from giving him away.

He was nothing if not a survivor and lying was often essential to achieve his continued survival.

Stiles paused and regarded him silently. Theo could see him weighing his words, “You can stay the night.” He pulled out his keys, unlocked the door and waved Theo inside.

* * *

Hours later and Stiles felt his eyelids growing heavier and heavier as his head listed to the side. He kept catching himself as sleep threatened to pull him under and the steady beat of Theo’s heart wasn’t helping him.

If anything it was lulling him closer to sleep.

_thump thump_

_thump thump_

_thump thump_

_thump thump_

They were both chimeras. Just like that. The TV lit up the living room, illuminating the empty pizza boxes and Stiles knew he didn’t need the light to see in the dark anymore. Along with his chimera upgrade had come night vision along with all of the other increased senses.

A broken doorknob upstairs could testify to his increased strength.

Stiles dragged in a breath and stifled a yawn as Theo shifted next to him. He could see how Theo’s eyes were drifting shut and the other chimera was losing his own battle with sleep.

But Stiles was terrified to lose consciousness.

The last time he had he’d woken up in the Dread Doctor’s lab no longer human and Theo had been turned from a werewolf to a chimera just like him. Another yawn escaping had tears blurring his eyes slightly as he shifted, half sliding up against Theo, where they were sprawled on the couch.

He shouldn’t feel comfortable in such close proximity but he did. Theo’s warmth against his side was reassuring in the way that Stiles wasn’t alone and he knew the only other person who knew what had happened was right there.

There was also something about Theo’s scent and the beat of his heart that soothed the raging instincts inside of him. Theo felt safe and try as he might to shove the terrifying realization away it was impossible when new instincts were far too content with Theo’s very presence.

Stiles yawed again and slipped even more to the side, pulling his legs up further onto the couch, as he half-consciously adjusted his position to gain more comfort. He blinked, blinked again and drifted idly as the tension in his body melted. Stiles could feel himself sliding further and sighed as he pressed up against Theo.

It was fine.

This was completely fine.

Nothing screamed threat to his new instincts and it was getting harder to keep his eyes open. To stay alert in the event of a threat invading his _home_.

Stiles was sure he remembered reading something about familiar scents and instincts or at least someone at some point had talked about it. They were the same species and Theo was familiar so it made sense in some warped way that he would be comfortable around Theo if only because of that. It made sense when looked at that way that his new supernatural instincts wouldn’t see Theo as a threat but instead something like…pack?

 _And you know he isn’t working with the things that did this to you_ his mind lazily supplied. It was true. When it came to the Dread Doctors he was completely sure Theo wasn’t a threat.

An image of Theo ripping the chimera from him and standing over him staring down at him in horror flashed through Stiles’s mind.

Theo wouldn’t kill him.

He was safe.

They were safe for now.

Stiles effortlessly lost the battle with consciousness and slipped into sleep with a sigh as the last trace of tension completely fled his muscles. Near his ear the steady, relaxing sound of Theo’s heart steadily beat as his subconscious mind locked onto the beat.

_thump thump_

_thump thump_

_thump thump_

_thump thump_

* * *

Theo blinked when he felt Stiles go completely limp against him. Stiles’s breathing evened out and his heartbeat settled as he drifted off to sleep. He released a yawn and sunk back into the couch that smelled strongly of Stiles.

It was relaxing and made it almost possible to forget everything else outside of this moment.

The warmth of Stiles pressed against him, their combined scents filling his nose and the full feeling from eating his fill in pizza had him easily drifting on the pure calmness of the situation.

He wondered if Stiles had even realized that he’d been slowly moving closer and closer to Theo from the moment they’d dropped down onto the couch after cleaning up. It had been obvious that Stiles’s instincts recognized Theo as someone he could trust.

It would be a matter of how much Stiles’s brain fought against those new instincts in deciding when Stiles would accept him.

The combination of wolf and coyote running through both of them clearly recognized each other. Theo could feel the way his instincts surged and calmed at Stiles’s presence. It would be impossible for Stiles to not feel something similar.

He shifted on the couch, getting comfortable, as Stiles pressed closer to him in his sleep. There was a little sigh, Stiles dragging in a deep breath, before he settled once more and practically nuzzled against Theo with a sigh.

 _Guess I’ll have to wait and see if those killer instincts kick in_.

Coyotes, from what he’d witnessed since coming to the Doctors, tended to be far more vicious and Stiles shouldn’t be the exception.

He wasn’t sure when he’d slipped into unconsciousness but the next time Theo opened his eyes light was flooding the living room and the sound of the door opening had him blinking blurrily in the direction of the front door.

The soft sound of footsteps reached his ears and Theo closed his eyes, feigning sleep, as the Sheriff walked into the room and paused.

“Wasn’t expecting that.” He heard the man mutter as Stiles’s Dad walked further into the room. Theo kept his focus on the man’s heartbeat, completely steady, as the Sheriff paused near the couch. “At least he’s in one piece.” The relief coming from the man was ridiculous but Theo could remember how protective the man had been of Stiles when they were both younger.

It didn’t surprise him in the least. Theo knew that same instinct to protect drove Stiles to the point of overprotectiveness when it came to his dad and that if he wanted to keep Stiles ensuring the Sheriff’s continued existence would be crucial.

The sound of pizza boxes being gathered up caught his attention and soon footsteps retreated as the Sheriff left.

Theo drifted off to sleep once the man had gone upstairs and didn’t wake up again until the feeling of Stiles stirring against him pulled him from a dreamless sleep. He groaned lowly and clenched his eyes shut.

Chimera or not Theo was getting tired of running on little sleep. He burned far too much energy not to take the time to recharge and he had been failing to compensate by eating more to replenish lost energy.

Stiles shifted and Theo realized they had moved some time in the night. His legs were still lifted where he’d reclined the couch but now Stiles had shifted to the point where he was using Theo’s lap as a pillow with his face smashed against Theo’s stomach.

The sound of Stiles mumbling against him had Theo furrowing a brow and groaning at the bright light filling the room. He patted Stiles on the head, fingers brushing through the dark strands of his hair, as Stiles muttered something and shoved his face closer.

“Stiles.” He opened his mouth to say something else but the sound of his stomach growling seemed to do a better job. Stiles leaned away, hair wild and a crease on his cheek where it had been pressed against Theo, as he blinked in confusion.

“Wha?” Stiles closed his eyes and released a low sound of annoyance, “What was that? Are we being attacked?” seeing nothing threatening he tried to go back to sleep. Clearly the worry of being attacked was minimal but as much as Theo wanted to be lazy, to actually be a lazy teenager, he was starving.

They must have slept late.

“As much as I love being your pillow I would love food more.”

There was a still moment as his words registered and then Stiles was flailing backwards. He watched with amusement as Stiles’s failing took him to the edge of the couch and then he was falling off onto the floor with a dull thump.

One leg still rested up on the couch, an arm spread out on the floor that had somehow missed the coffee table and the rest of Stiles was twisted into a truly uncomfortable looking position.

“Ow.”

Theo snorted, “That didn’t hurt.” He stretched, sighing as he relaxed after relishing how good it had felt to stretch his muscles after a night of sleep. As he breathed in Theo noted how their mixed scents lingered in the air, saturating both of them, and he knew he wanted Stiles to _always_ carry his scent.

He could easily forgo eating to start working on that goal. To fuck and mark Stiles up on the inside and outside so there wasn’t a question who he belonged to. There should never be a question that Stiles was _his_.

Brown eyes stared up at him from a face scrunched in mild disgruntlement. “Asshole.”

Theo simply arched a brow, “Food, Stiles, _food_.”

Lips parted to no doubt throw some kind of scathing smartass remark at him in response but the sound of Stiles’s own stomach growling loudly filled the silence between them. Stiles’s eyes popped wide and a look of mortification stole over his handsome features.

“Fine.” It was said grudgingly as though Stiles himself wasn’t as hungry as Theo was but he let him have it. The amusement from watching Stiles flail off the couch and the high of success at having the Dread Doctors turn Stiles into a chimera buzzed inside of him.

He didn’t feel like poking at Stiles too much. At least at the moment.

Theo watched Stiles gain his feet, hair wild from sleep and the crease from where he’d been smashed against Theo even more noticable on his cheek. “Then we’re going to work on teaching you control.”

Stiles blinked at him, “Control?”

“Control.” Theo’s lips quirked, “I doubt you want to flash your eyes at someone or accidently claw something up.” He could see Stiles remembering the night before, watched emotion flash through expressive eyes, before Stiles was staring at him with a hint of determination. “And I’m sure your dad would appreciate not having to replace a bunch of household items because you broke them on accident.”

“The door wouldn’t open.” Stiles scowled, “It’s not my fault it jammed.”

“But it is your fault it is a twisted hunk of useless metal.”

Stiles shifted on his feet and started padding away in the direction of the kitchen all the while ignoring Theo’s description of the poor door knob. He gave Stiles a few seconds before following, amused at the way Stiles was resolutely not wanting to acknowledge that he’d completely destroyed the door knob. “Everyone who turns into something supernatural has to re-learn basic control. It’s nothing new.”

“How am I going to tell my Dad?” there was something lost in the tone, a kind of defeat that Theo wasn’t used to hearing or seeing when it came to Stiles. “How am I going to tell him what happened? That I might—”

“We are _not_ going to die, Stiles.” Theo turned him, locked eyes again and knew his were glowing. Pleasure flared inside of him when Stiles’s own eyes flared gold in response. A chimera’s eyes wouldn’t change no matter how much blood had been split. At least that would go a long way to helping Stiles get over any blood he thought was on his hands or any he might get on his hands in the future. “Your eyes are _gold_.”

The sudden change in conversation threw Stiles off kilter and he drew back, moving towards a reflective surface in the kitchen, to stare at himself. “They’re not blue.” He sounded surprised, relieved.

“No. They’re gold.” Theo gave Stiles a few more seconds to stare at his reflection, “And _that_ is why we’re going to work on control. After eating. For now let’s get your eyes back to normal.”

Stiles turned back, eyes still glowing that brilliant golden color, before acquiescing. Theo watched him try to fix it himself and then an annoyed sound escaped when Theo shook his head in the negative.

“Focus on something, just one thing and let everything else fade away.” He watched Stiles’s eyes close, how his breathing remained even, as Stiles clearly started doing exactly what he’d said. “Let it center you.” A few seconds passed and he could see how Stiles was steadily gaining back the little control he’d let slip when Theo had flashed his eyes. “Allow it to anchor you.”

Something about his words had Stiles jolting, shock and something else on his face, as warm brown eyes stared at him. Stiles’s cheeks were pale, his lips parted and Theo could smell a hint of shocked surprise in his scent.

“Good.” he praised, “They’re back to normal.” But he was far too curious at the reaction especially after he’d told Stiles it had worked. “What did you use to focus on?’

Stiles refused to meet his eyes, looking anywhere but at Theo, as he shifted on his feet and then turned to the fridge to start rummaging around for food. Theo stepped close, eyes narrowing in consideration, while Stiles waited to answer the question.

“Heartbeat.” Was finally muttered.

Theo nodded in understanding but it didn’t explain the reaction. “Your dad is upstairs.” It made sense, Stiles using something comforting to focus on. Eggs, milk and several other items ended up on the counter next to the fridge.

“Yeah. My Dad’s.” Stiles’s finally agreed after a few more items ended up on the counter. Theo’s brow furrowed as he listened and watched Stiles move around the kitchen doing his level best to not look in Theo’s direction.

Stiles’s heart had skipped when he'd responded.

He had lied.

**Author's Note:**

> Can you imagine how fucking _smug_ Theo would be if he knew it was HIS heartbeat that Stiles very unintentionally chose to focus on? I hinted at what Stiles was doing by showing him repeatedly listening to Theo's heartbeat but I liked ending it with Theo's POV. It seemed more interesting letting the reader see it from Theo's POV when Stiles realized that he'd essentially been subconsciously making Theo an anchor and Theo, bless his manipulative little heart, had no idea how far he'd already wormed his way into Stiles's subconscious.
> 
> Well it kind of seems like ages since I posted a new fic but mercifully I found some free time! A few little changes and I gifted Theo will his very own Werecoyote Chimera!Stiles because the poor dear needs some kind of playmate haha. Also I capitalized on the information gleaned from the conversation between Theo and Malia about her responding to him more readily because she sensed the werecoyote in him.
> 
> As always I hope you all enjoyed my latest Steo fic and the canon divergence I decided to take with this one. I need to find a trope or something that is further in the AU realm to write about next for these two. Not sure which ones have been overdone with Steo though *sighs*.


End file.
